1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to pneumatic power tool systems. In particular, it relates to a portable pneumatic power system which is lightweight, and has a refillable high-pressure air/gas canister which is refillable on the job site, and which provides adjustable high-pressure air/gas for use with pneumatic tools or other devices that are pneumatically powered.
2. Background Art
Originally, a wide variety of construction activities required repetitive action to complete their tasks. For example, building construction requires extensive nailing of the various components that comprise a structure. Furniture construction requires substantial, stapling, nailing, etc. Likewise, the number of commercial manufacturing, construction, maintenance, and other activities which require this type of repetitive manual activity is too large to list individually. A disadvantage associated with this type of activity is that it is tiring for the workmen who have to manually secure each nail, screw, etc., during the work process. In addition to the inconvenience experienced by the workmen due to the nature of the process in which workmen were required to manually control each operation, construction time was also extended, which in turn increased costs and reduced profits.
To avoid the disadvantages of manual construction techniques, the construction, carpentry, and other trades have developed a wide variety of power tools for use in a wide range of activities. Many activities, including building construction, automobile fabrication and maintenance, carpentry, etc, have benefitted from the use of specialized power tools which allow workmen to complete the task of nailing, screwing, etc., with a minimum amount of manual exertion, and with a minimum amount of time to complete the task. Examples of these tools would be: a pin tacker used for molding and cabinets and typically using 90 psi of air pressure; a micro pinner used for molding and typically using 60-70 psi of air pressure; a brad nailer used for molding and cabinet finish work and typically using 90 psi of air pressure; a roof coil nailer used for roofing and typically using 70-125 psi of air pressure; a framing nailer used for building frame construction and typically using 80-125 psi of air pressure; etc. The use of these power tools has permitted workmen to make substantial increases in productivity due to the speed and ease of use that these tools provide.
In addition to the problems associated with supplying air pressure to pneumatic power tools, numerous other devices use air pressure. For example, in the automobile maintenance and towing industries, repair of flat tires is relatively easy inside a garage where an air compressor is usually available. However, tire repair frequently takes place outside of a garage where there is no air compressor. It would be advantageous to have a compact, lightweight, portable air supply system for inflating vehicle tires in locations where a high pressure air supply was not normally available.
In addition to tools and vehicles, there are also other applications which would benefit from the availability of high pressure air. For example, recreational activities often involve the use of inflatable devices. For example, camper often use inflatable tents which can be difficult and time consuming to inflate. Likewise, inflatable beds and rafts are also commonly used and require substantial effort to inflate. It would be desirable to have an easy method of inflating recreational devices such as this.
While these tools have provided substantial benefits to both business and to the workmen who work for those businesses, there are several disadvantages associated with them. For example, a number of electrically hand-held power tools have been designed for use in a variety of trades. A disadvantage of this type of power tool is that there is a substantial additional weight in the tool due to the presence of an electric motor. In the case where the handheld power tool is battery-powered rather than connected to a power source via a wire, the tool will also have the substantial additional weight associated with the batteries. Even though these devices are faster than prior art manual construction techniques, due to the weight, size and space requirements caused by the electric motors and/or the batteries, these devices are heavier and have more bulk. This causes them to be more difficult to manipulate, and contributes to work fatigue due to their weight and increased difficulty in manipulating. It would be desirable to have a portable handheld power tool which did not have the weight and bulk disadvantages associated with prior art electrical power tools.
The weight and bulk disadvantages associated with batteries can be overcome by using a handheld power tool which plugs into a conventional wall power socket. However, there are disadvantages to this configuration as well. Of course, in the situation where there is no available power socket, as would be the case when framing is being installed during the process of construction, these tools would be unusable because they do not have access to available wall sockets. As a result, a portable generator would have to be available to provide power to operate the power tools. Portable generators tend to be expensive, heavy, and inconvenient to use. For example, during the course of a workday, the portable generator may have to be moved from place to place in order to be close enough to the ongoing work. This creates additional inconvenience, it wastes time and it increases costs during the construction process. It would be desirable to have portable power supply which is convenient to move to any location in a work site.
Another type of handheld power tool which has been developed is the category of tools which use pneumatic power. These tools can be used in a wide variety of applications such as nailing, stapling, screwing, drilling, and for use in devices such as handheld power wrenches for removing or installing nuts/bolts, etc. Typically these devices are attached to a pneumatic air hoses which provides air pressure to the tool. These pneumatic tools have a similar disadvantage to those encountered by electric handheld power tools. In particular, they typically use a large air compressor which may have to be moved to accommodate particular work activities. In addition, if the work is being performed in inconvenient locations, such as on the roof of a building under construction, it may be difficult if not impossible to provide an air compressor without running extended length air hoses.
In addition to the disadvantages associated with the compressors, if the compressor is a substantial distance from the power tool, then the weight and drag of the air hose creates a problem for the workman due to the extra work they create as the workman moves about. It would be advantageous to have a method of supplying pneumatic power to handheld tools which does not have the disadvantages associated with the use of prior art air compressors, and without the need for running air hoses from an air compressor to the pneumatic tool.
Another problem associated with power tools is that when air/gas compressors are used, those compressors can have a proprietary interface which prevents the power supply from being interchanged with a variety of tools. More important, since each power tool is designed to accomplish a unique task, each tool has a requirement for varying levels of air pressure in order to accomplish those tasks. As a result, a single high pressure vessel may be suitable for one tool, but it would not be capable of being used with a variety of pneumatic power tools which each require a different air/gas pressure level. It would be advantageous to have a single pneumatic power supply that could be interchangeably used with any number of pneumatic tools, and which would have a wide range of adjustable pressure settings to accommodate the unique requirements of each pneumatic power tool.
A further problem associated with pneumatic power tools is the availability of a sufficient supply of air/gas to power the tools. In prior art attempts to provide pneumatic power, typically a large powered pump system must be provided, with all of the inconvenience and expense associated with them. It would be advantageous to have a single small and portable supply of compressed air/gas which is easy to carry, and which can optionally be quickly refilled from an auxiliary supply vessel.
While addressing the basic desirability of providing power to tools for the purpose of increasing productivity, the prior art has failed to provide a power supply system for pneumatic tools which is very lightweight, very compact, whose output pressure can be adjusted such that the same power supply can be used with any number of pneumatic tools, and which can be quickly and conveniently refilled from an auxiliary supply vessel. Further, the prior art has failed to provide a pneumatic power supply which can adjust output air/gas pressure from very high pressure to very low pressure such that can accommodate a wide range of power tools which each require a unique air/gas pressure level.